Explaining Archer
by FateWriter007
Summary: A fanfiction to explain the version Archer that I use on Tumblr. The story generally follows the Unlimited Blade Works Route of the Fate/Stay Night Visual Novel/anime, with some obvious changes in order to better explain the differences.
1. Prologue

"Rin!" A brunette woman in her mid-30's struck down before her time. After slaying their assailer, the white-haired magus rushed to her side and cradled her in his arms.

"Rin, talk to me, please!" he begged, with tears in his eyes.

"S-Shirou… Please don't stray from the path that we made together…" the brunette woman reaches up and touches his face, gently wiping away his rapidly falling tears.

"Promise me…" her voice was barely above a whisper.

"Y-yes, I promise." He took a hold of her one hand and kissed it gently.

"Even if I end up in the same place as _that_ guy, I promise I'll never give up. You'll see for yourself once I get you some help." He said, his voice trembling. He knew he wouldn't be able to save her. Her wound was too deep, cutting straight through her chest. He wasn't at all proficient with healing magecraft.

"Shirou…" she whispered. He could see the life fading from her eyes, and he was trying his best to remain strong.

"Yes Rin?" his voice quivered again. He was scared, he was going to lose the most precious thing in the world to him. The one who gave him comfort and love, the one who helped guide him straight, so he didn't end up like _him_.

"Shirou… I… I love… you..." she manages to gasp out before her body goes slack and her life slips away.

"I love you too, Rin…" he whispers, pressing his forehead against hers. He would continue this journey alone, with only his promise to her remaining.


	2. Chapter 1: The Summoning

A blinding flash of light called him forth into the world. He was immediately greeted by a loud crash. Looking around, it appeared he'd been summoned into someone's living room. But the one who summoned him was nowhere to be seen. With a shrug, he found himself a comfortable place to sit, and did so. A few moments later, a young brunette woman, probably 17 or 18 years of age burst into the room. Archer's eyes widened. She seemed familiar. Her cat-like eyes settled on me after she burst into the room. Those eyes, they look familiar, but He couldn't place them. He knew he'd seen them somewhere before, but he couldn't quite remember.

"Well, it seems I've been summoned by a most curious little Master." H teased her.

"Little!? Listen here wise guy…" she growled before letting her words trail off. She took a deep breath, as if to calm herself.

"Are you the Servant that I summoned?" She asked him.

"That I am. What of it?" he replied, closing one eye, while still holding her gaze.

"Simply making sure you were summoned here by me, not sent by another."

"A wise move."

"Flattery will get you nowhere with me pal." She grumbles, blushing all the while. He let out sigh and shrugged.

"If you say so."

"I believe that Master-Servant relationships should be established right off the bat, so that there are no misgivings between the two."

"Yes, I agree. However, what proof do you have to show me that you are worthy of my service?" he asked, sneering a bit. She was easy to tease, given her reaction to his remark about her height.

"If you need to look further beyond the flow of mana between us, I have these." The young woman showed him the Command Seals.

"I was looking for the bond between us. You're a smart one, Master." He said, smirking at her a little bit. She gave him a dirty look.

"I already told you, flattery will get you nowhere. What's your name?" she asked him. His smirk faded almost instantly, replaced with a frown.

"Couldn't tell you to be honest." The room was silent.

"What the hell is THAT supposed to mean!?" she shrieked. He let out a sigh.

"It means exactly what it sounds like. I don't know what my name is. All I know is my class, which is Archer."

"And you're not even the Saber-class Servant. Great…" she groaned to herself.

"Well _excuuuuse_ me." Archer said snarkily. The girl sighed.

"No, it's not a bad thing, at least I summoned a Servant. Let's get that straight. I'm glad you're here. At least I can pursue my family's dream now." She says. Archer nodded. He'd been giving her crap to start with anyway, so her justification was unnecessary. However, he wouldn't tell her that.

"Well, Master, what should I call you?" He asked her, looking curiously at the girl in front of him.

"Ah, yes. My name is Rin. Rin Tohsaka." She said with a bit of a smile. Archer's eyes grew wide for a second. That name was familiar to him, somehow. Then it came to him. Rin Tohsaka. The name of the woman he'd lost.

"I see, so that's the name. Yes, I like the sound of that." He murmured, putting his hand to his chin.

"Alright Archer, time for your first task." Rin announced. Archer snorted.

"A taskmaster eh? Alright, what's my first mission?"

"Clean up this room. You made quite a mess." She said, before turning on her heel.

"Y-you're serious?" he asked, but she'd already left.


	3. Chapter 2: The Night Before

The morning sun rose, causing Rin to stir. Looking at her clock, she resolved that she wasn't going to go school today. She sluggishly moved her way into the living room. To her surprise, it was in pristine condition, exactly the way it had been before Archer had appeared.

"Finally awake, Rin?" Archer asked, coming in another door with a silver tray and a fancy china teapot.

"Yeah." She replied sleepily. She sat down on the couch, and Archer passed her a teacup. She took a sip, and displayed a surprised expression.

"Is something wrong with the tea?" Archer asked casually, taking a sip of his own tea, and finding it to be nothing out of sorts.

"No, it's just. It's good. I can never make tea like this." She said, looking at Archer curiously. He just shrugged.

"Well, tea aside, get yourself ready Archer, we're going out today." She declared. Archer cast a curious glance at her, then shrugged again.

Over the course of the day, Rin showed him around the town. He remained on his spirit form, so he was invisible to the eyes of the people around him. They kept most of their chatter to their mental channel. Once the day was passed, and the night set in, Rin had lead him up to the rooftop of the Community Building in Shinto.

"Why didn't you show me this place first? It would've saved us the whole walkaround." He wasn't complaining, he was just voicing his point.

"You can't get a good feel for the city just from up here." Rin replied.

"That's not wholly true. I can count the tiles of concrete on the bridge over there." Archer said, nodding in the direction of the red-arched bridge.

"Wow. The skills of the Archer class are quite impressive." Rin mused. She glanced down towards the street, then quickly took a step back.

"Hm? What is it Rin?" Archer asked.

"It's nothing. C'mon, it's late. Let's go home." She said.

They were on their way back to her mansion, when Rin suddenly stopped and dipped behind a corner.

"Rin, is something wrong?" Archer asked her over their mental channel.

"It's just one of my classmates. She's talking to that foreigner." She whispered aloud in reply. The Golden-haired stranger walked past them, an arrogant smirk on his face. Archer tensed. Something about this foreigner was familiar, and every part of his instinct screamed for him to attack. But Rin didn't tell him to do anything, so he didn't. They returned to her mansion without an incident, and Rin immediately retired, due to having school the next day.

The following day, Archer accompanied Rin to school in his spirit form. Things had started coming back to him as he'd ventured around town, and now, seeing the school, it seemed to bring up senses of familiarity. Just as she crossed the gate onto the campus, Rin stopped.

"There's a Boundary Field here." She mumbled, then slipped into one of the lower hallways.

"How do you plan on handling this?" he asked her.

"I'll investigate it after school. Whoever is putting up this shoddy excuse for a bounded field on my turf is gonna get it." She grumbled aloud.

"Archer, scout the school. I want you to try and find where it's emanating from." She said. Even though she couldn't see him, he nodded, and departed from her. She could always call him to her side with a Command Seal.

Later into the evening, Archer showed her what he'd found. A sigil that was etched into roof of the main school building.

"I see." She said quietly.

"Well, what are you going to do?" he asked her.

"I'll erase it." She replied, then knelt to do so.

"C'mon now, that wouldn't be fun." A voice called out to her. She whipped around, to see a tall, tanner man perched on the fence, with a long red spear over his shoulders.

"A Servant!?" Rin gasped.

"If you know that, little lady, then I can assume that you are my enemy. As well as your invisible friend?" His cat-like eyes settled on Archer, who was still in his Spirit form. A scuffle was about to break out. Rin's wits had her on edge, looking around. She was blocked in on all sides, which was not good, considering that their opponent was most likely a Lancer class Servant.

"You've got your wits about you. That's impressive. Let's see if it'll save you." Lancer said with a grin, before leaping down and swiping at Rin with his lance. She ducked under and started running away.

"Es ist gröss! Es ist klein!" Rin chanted. The flow of her mana coursed to her legs, cutting her weight in half, and doubling her running speed. With a kick, and the rush of displaced wind, Rin launched herself away from Lancer, and leapt the fence.

"Archer, handle the landing!" she shouted, as she curled into a ball, and plummeted towards the ground. Archer fell beneath her, caught her in his arms, and took another leap, before letting her down to keep running. In that split second, Lancer's spear lunged towards Rin. However, Archer intercepted it, and knocked it away. He shed his spirit form, a flush of blue light uncovering him. He held a black short sword with red hexagonal patterns across it.

"Now that's more like it! I like people who are right down to business."

"Lancer-class Servant!" Rin shouted.

"Indeed. Your Servant doesn't strike me as a Saber though." He replied. He was silent for a moment, as if sizing Archer up.

"Doesn't strike me as the single combat type either. So, an Archer." Lancer said, which was followed by a laugh.

"Go ahead Archer, take out your bow. I'll wait." He said, giving his lance a twirl.

"Archer, you won't receive any help from me. Right here, right now. Show me what you've got." Rin said after a moment. Archer smirked, and a pale blue wind whipped up around him. Then he vanished. Lancer's senses were sharp, however, so he could keep track of Archer.

CLANG

Archer's sword clashed with Lancer's spear. The two traded blows back and forth, neither landing any sort of decisive blow on the other. After several furious exchanges, Lancer scored a blow that shattered Archer's sword.

"Got ya!" Lancer growled with a carnal grin, then went in for another thrust.

"Archer!" Rin shouted. In a flash of yellowish orange light, another blade appeared in his opposite hand, a pure white blade, which he used to deflect Lancer's blow. The black blade also reappeared.

"A dual wielder, huh?" Lancer murmured. Archer pulled his swords up to his chest, taking what appeared to be some sort of fighting stance.

"An archer who thinks himself a swordsman eh?" he said, before lunging forward again.

CLANG

Another furious exchange of blows. Lancer continued to disarm Archer repeatedly, and he kept summoning new ones. After another few minutes, another calm occurred.

"Twenty-seven. I've disarmed you twenty-seven times, and yet you still have more swords."

"What's wrong? This wait-and-see tactic isn't like you. Where'd all that spirit go?" Red taunting blue.

"You're trying to provoke me, aren't you? Alright, I'll bite. What land's Heroic Spirit are you? I've never heard of any archer who wields two swords."

"You, on the other hand are easily identifiable. They say that only the swiftest heroes are chosen to be spearmen, and you stand a head and shoulders above them. I would say that there aren't even three spearmen of your skill in the world. Add in the beast's agility, and that leaves but one." Archer replied, expressing that he had deduced Lancer's identity without outwardly telling him.

"Oh? You flatter me Archer." A wicked grin crept across Lancer's face as he changed his stance. His lance flared red, and it seemed to crawl back over the spear.

"Then, will you face strongest attack?" Lancer asked.

"I won't stop you. You're an opponent I'll have to defeat eventually. Better sooner than later." Archer remarked, taking up his own stance. It was clear that the build-up of mana on Lancer's spear was him charging a Servant's ultimate weapon, his Noble Phantasm. It was dead silent, so the stumbling of the other onlooker was as audible as an offkey note in a music hall.

"Who's there!?" Lancer barked. The red flares disappeared from his lance as he turned towards the sound.

"Someone is here?" Rin asked.

"So it would appear. Saved my life, actually." Archer replied. Now everything was correct in his mind. He was back to this time. That's why it this was all so familiar. This time, he was in his place, and someone else was playing him.

"Wait, where did Lancer go?" Rin asked.

"Probably off to kill the observer. No one outside of the Grail War can know about it." Archer replies absent-mindedly, still trying to process how he'd been drawn back to this time.

"Crap!" Rin shouted. "Archer, chase after them, I'll catch up!" Archer leapt off in pursuit of Lancer. Unfortunately, he didn't make it in time, and he spied the red-haired student laying in a pool of blood on the floor. Rin came pounding up the stairs, and looked at Archer, who simply shook his head and pointed. She came around the corner and saw the body lying on the ground. Slowly walking the hallway, Rin sighs.

"There's nothing I can do for you, but I can at least give you comfort until Death takes you." She says quietly to the unmoving body. She knelt beside him, then let out a gasp.

"You? What are you doing here? Out of all the people, all the places, why did you have to be here!?" she said bemoaning her misfortune. "How will I ever be able to look her in the face?" She was silent for a moment, drawing a pendant from her jacket pocket.

"No, there is a way." She whispered. Archer's eyes widened as she pulled a small, red, heart-shaped pendant from her jacket pocket. His hand drifted to his own jacket pocket, in which resided that very pendant. That was the final piece to the puzzle. He knew it now. He was back in his own time, back when the war happened. He watched on silently as Rin resuscitated his younger self with the mana in her pendant. Once she was sure he would live, she stood.

"We should leave before he wakes up. If we're lucky, he'll think it was all just a dream." She said half-heartedly, knowing that he wasn't that stupid. The two retreated to the Tohsaka manor. She threw herself on the couch and sighed.

"I meant to tell you to go after Lancer, but it slipped my mind. Sadly, it's too late for that now." She said. Archer was silent for a moment.

"Here." He said, handing her the pendant from his pocket.

"Huh? You went back and picked it up?" she asked, taking the pendant from him.

"Don't lose it. It doesn't fit anyone but you." He says gently.

"You think?" she asks rather numbly and stares at the pendant.

"There's barely any mana left in it. Though I suppose it's still pretty to look at." She mumbles aloud, as she lays back down. There was silence for a moment before she jolted back up.

"Lancer's job isn't done." She says with a panicked expression, before grabbing her coat.

"C'mon Archer!" she said, and he chased after her. Jumping from rooftop to rooftop through the city, Archer whisked Rin towards the residential district.

"Why does this matter to you? It's not your burden to bear." He asked.

"After everything I gave to make him live, I'm not going to just let him die!" she shouted over the roaring wind. They hit land just outside the Japanese-style mansion.

"He's here, I can sense the Lancer." She said, before taking off around the corner.

"Rin wait! I can sense another Servant!" Archer shouted. Rin paused, right in the line of a blonde-haired woman in blue battle garments, who was barreling towards her. Archer leapt to intercept her blow, causing her to retreat, then pursued. His eyes widened, his step faltered, and the following clash did not go his way, forcing him to retreat to Rin's side. The brisk air of the night caused his breath to fog in front of him. Without a doubt, that was her. The blonde-haired Servant he'd been friends with in life. Saber.

"T-the Saber class Servant…" Rin whispered. Aware of her opponent's hesitancy, Saber lunged forward again, with the intent to strike Archer down.

"Wait, stop!" A voice shouted out. The Saber-class Servant froze mid-sword-swing, then glared behind her.

"What are you doing!? The enemy is upon us!" she barked at the red-headed Master behind him.

"Saber, I don't even know what's going on! At least tell me what's happening before go running off like that!" he said, more begging than demanding. From behind him, he heard Rin chuckle a little.

"Good evening to you, Emiya." She said with a smile.

Author's note: Sorry this one is so long! I didn't want to break this up into different parts. The next chapters will be slightly different than the normal UBW route. How you may ask? You shall see!~


	4. Chapter 3: Twists in Time Pt 1

Rin had ordered him to stand guard outside, so up to the roof of the compound he went. It gave him a little bit to process everything that was going on. He'd been summoned by Rin to this time as her Servant in the Holy Grail War. He struggled to remember what had happened. He vaguely remembered fighting himself. The red-clad, white-haired Archer he remembered looked exactly as he did now.

"But I don't want to kill him. If anything, I want him to know that it's okay to chase ideals, even if they are broken or borrowed." He says to himself. It was also because of his clash with that Archer that he got to be as skilled at his craft as he was. Something was going to change here. He was going to make sure that this version of him knew that his ideals were bankrupt, but that it was okay to pursue them anyway.

"I'll have to help him find a way to unlock _that_ as well." He murmurs to himself. Just then, Rin called to him telepathically.

" _We're heading to Kotomine church. The one on the hill in Shinto. Stay close by."_

" _As you wish, Master."_ He replied. He couldn't help but chuckle at the sight of Saber in the yellow rain jacket.

' _Brings back memories.'_ Archer mused to himself as he followed the trio through the streets. Saber settled to stand guard outside of the church gates, and he took up a position on the rooftop, next to the steeple. Leaning against the peak of the Church, Archer glanced around at the landscape around it. Images flashed through his mind. He was seeing phantom images of when he was here last. He couldn't make out what the phantoms were saying, but he watched the younger Shirou Emiya and Rin run into the church, leaving the blue-clad Lancer to square off with his counterpart.

 _'That won't happen this time around. I'd never work for that vixen.'_ He thinks to himself. He took to trying to remember things closer to where he was in the time frame. He focused his thoughts, panning the terrain around him. His eyes settled on the graveyard. More phantom images appeared before his eyes. He watched Saber dance between the headstones, dodging the stone axe of the giant monster that was Berserker. He watched an arrow fly into the area, and cause an enormous explosion.

 _'Caladbolg?'_ He wondered. When he saw Berserker emerge from the blast relatively unscathed, he mused what in his arsenal he could use to defeat such a hulking monster. He eventually settled on Caliburn, the Sword of the Selection. He didn't know why he felt like it would work, but something told him it would. He noted that Rin and Shirou had emerged from the church, and resumed his spirit form.

After walking for a while, Rin stopped. Shirou and Saber stopped a few steps behind them.

"Alright, you can make the rest of the trip back by yourself. I've done what I can to help you. Next time we meet, we're enemies."

"What? What are you talking about Tohsaka? I don't want to fight you." He said.

"Do you still not get the fact that this is a _war_?" she said. "Eventually we will _have_ to fight, like it or not." Shirou was aghast. Saber was tensed for battle, but Archer was nowhere to be seen, despite that his presence could be sensed.

"Well now, are you done talking?" a small voice called out to them. A small, white-haired girl was staring at them. Standing beside her was a massive, hulking monster that was her Servant, Berserker.

 _'This is it.'_ Archer thought.

" _Archer, get somewhere that you can snipe from."_ Rin said to him. He quickly left the scene, moving as quickly as he could to the roof of the building they'd been on two nights ago.

"Oh, sending him away already? Oh well, that gives more time to focus on my real objective, Shirou."


	5. Chapter 4: Twists in Time Pt 2

"Good evening little brother." The little girl says with a menacing smile. "This is the second time we've met like this." She says as she walks into the light of the streetlamp. She performs a curtsey to the two of them.

"A pleasure to meet you, Rin. I am Illya. Illyasviel von Einzbern. You know the name, yes?" she said, speaking specifically to the brunette magus.

"Einzbern…" Rin grumbled, as she started at the servant.

"Impressive. In terms of raw power, that thing even outclasses Saber. Emiya, it's your choice whether you stay and fight or run. But, If I was you, I'd run."

"Oh? Were you saying a prayer in hopes that you'll survive? 'Cuz that's not going to happen." Illya says, bearing the same innocent, yet malevolent smile. "But that's good. That means I can get started. Get them, Berserker. Kill them both." She said, in a rather singsong fashion, while swaying back and forth. A guttural roar emerged from behemoth's mouth, before he leapt into the air, careening towards the trio in front of him.

"Shirou, get back!" Saber shouted, as Berserker made a comet-dive towards him. However, he was paralyzed in fear of the monster falling towards him.

'Idiot!' Archer thought to himself, as he fired a barrage of arrows at Berserker from his 'nest'. The resulting explosion ripped a crater several yards in circumference. It also managed to knock Berserker off course. Once the smoke cleared, and Berserker was seen unharmed, Rin cried out in shock.

"What!? They had no effect!?" Uttering a low growl, Berserker charged again, sticking to the ground this time. He was a blur of grey, and before Shirou even had the time to move, Berserker was right in front of him, in mid-swing with his axe. In an equally agile movement, Saber stepped in and intercepted Berserkers blow. The shockwave from the collision knocked Shirou back and to the ground. The two warriors held this stance for a moment, before Saber forced Berserker's axe to the ground, then took a swipe at him, her wind-covered blade sending him flying back.

The exchange of blows that followed lasted for several minutes. Eventually, Saber broke off from Berserker.

"Even in the grips of madness, his sword skills are unsullied. I cannot help but be impressed." Saber said, releasing a heavy breath.

"Archer, fire support!" Rin yelled. Knocking an arrow, Archer fired at Berserker from his perch. The bolt screeched across the sky, leaving a red archlight behind it. Berserker didn't even attempt to dodge, and simply took the blow full on. The explosion consumed him, but when the dust cleared, he once again appeared unscathed. With that finished, Berserker charged at Saber again. The next exchange didn't go so well for Saber, as Berserker knocked her around. However, he didn't seem to land any critical blows. He was merely wearing Saber down.

"It's over. Crush her Berserker!" Illya commanded.

"No way. Archer!" Rin shouted, then charged towards Berserker. Pulling gems from her jacket pocket, she threw them towards the hulking monster. They shattered to dust, and projected a dome over Berserker, who was then pressed down beneath its weight. Archer then fired a volley into the dome, which dispersed quickly, allowing his arrows to bore into Berserker's back. An explosion resulted, and once again, the Servant emerged unscathed.

"I-is it unkillable?" Shirou whispered.

"Ignore the riffraff Berserker. Their attacks can't overcome your Noble Phantasm. Focus on Saber. The other two will fall easily once she has." She says. Saber uses the next several clashes between her and Berserker to propel herself up into the graveyard of Kotomine church.

After several more rounds of exchanged blows, and a lot of field migration, Saber and Berserker faced each other down in the graveyard. While scratched up, neither were substantially damaged.

"We have no desire to banter, nor the freedom to identify ourselves. Our exchanges are limited to blows that are meant to bring certain death. So be it. I shall answer the call with a blow that carries all my might. Prepare yourself, Berserker!" She shouted. A surge of mana coalesced around Saber, and she propelled herself forwards towards the mad beast. Unleashing another guttural roar, Berserker swings his axe down, kicking up a storm of stones and dirt. Saber's prana burst pushes her through it, and she goes for a forward thrust into Berserker's chest. Berserker uses the flat of his hand to impede the blade's progress, then raises his sword to deal the killing blow.

"HYAAAA!" Saber shouts, unleashing another surge of mana. Her sword becomes visible for a short moment, and a beam of yellow energy blasts Berserker, slicing through his shoulder. The huge gash was practically enough to cleave the monstrous Servant clean in half.

"Rin. Get clear." Archer said to her.

"What do you mean get clear?" she asked him.

"Saber's display was magnificent. However, it wasn't enough." He replied. He projected his copy of Caliburn, and used his mana to morph it into an arrow. He let the mana flow through it, charging it to the maximum.

'If this doesn't finish Berserker, they're dead.' Archer thinks to himself, before letting the arrow fly. Leaving a golden archlight behind it, Caliburn II crossed the night sky, heading straight for Berserker.

Meanwhile, Saber was watching in shock as Berserker's Noble Phantasm resurrected him.

"Saber!" Shirou shouted, running towards them.

"Shirou, stay back!" she shouted. But he didn't listen to her. He charged forward, grabbed her by the hand, and pulled her away, just in time to avoid the initial impact of Archer's arrow.

The arrow pierced through Berserker's head, and the resulting explosion ripped the ground around him asunder, sending Saber and Shirou flying. Once the explosion settled, a golden light erupted into the sky, and Berserker stood motionless.

"B-Berserker!? But how!?" Illya shrieked, and ran down the hill towards her Servant.

"Archer. What… What was that?" Rin asked him.

"Not something I can explain." He replied. Shirou, Saber, Illya, and Rin all watched in disbelief as what had been the unstoppable Berserker disappeared into a cloud of dust.

"I don't understand. How? How did this happen!?" Illya shrieked. She started beating the ground with her fist and crying.

"Grandpa Acht told me there was no way I could lose!" she cried, tears starting to fall from her eyes. Irked by this, Shirou slowly approached her, and to everyone's surprise, and perhaps to their dismay as well, he hugged her. She audibly gasped.

"W-what are you doing!? Let go of me!" she said between sobs, making no effort to actually free herself from his hold.

"It's okay. You can cry if you want to." Shirou said softly. Archer reappeared by Rin's side, and couldn't help but smile a little. Of course, he understood what he was seeing better than everyone else. Once Illya finally settled, she looked at Shirou.

"I-I'm sorry for threatening to kill you. I just…" Her voice trails off and she pouts a little.

"I'm just mad that Kiritsugu never tried to come back for me, and just focused on you instead." Her pouty face continued.

"Well, why don't you punish me instead?" he asked her. He said such with a light laugh, probably finding her pouty face to be adorable.

"CAN I?" Illya shouted enthusiastically.

"I mean, sure, I guess." Shirou unwittingly agrees to her demands. Her evil grin causes him to immediately regret his decision. In that moment, something overcame him, and he fell backwards, falling unconscious.

"Shirou!" Saber and Illya shouted simultaneously.

"Emiya!" Rin shouted. Saber and Rin tore to Shirou and Illya's side. Archer simply remained standing where he was, content to watch things unfold.


	6. Chapter 5: The Same, Yet Different

Shirou awoke the following morning in his room back at the Emiya residence. Had he made it home and fallen asleep? He didn't remember getting home at all. Last thing he remembered was…

"Illya!" he practically shouted.

"Relax, she's in the other room sleeping." The brunette-haired magus said to him. "Glad to see you're up and running, I was beginning to think you were going to sleep the whole day." She quipped at him. He jumped up in surprise, practically cart-wheeling backwards into the wall.

"I see that your injuries have healed. That's good." She mused with a slight smile

"Tohsaka? What are you doing here?" he asked, staring at her incredulously.

"So that's the thanks I get for carrying you here from the cemetery last night? Jeez, maybe I should have just left you there then. Hmph!" she huffed, looking away from him.

"Ah, I see. Well, thank you." He said softly. "I appreciate that you'd take care of me like this." Rin let out a sigh when he said this.

"I guess I have some emotional flab, if I'm helping my enemy." She mused aloud.

"Flab? Are you saying your fat? 'Cuz you're not." Shirou remarked. Rin just stared at him. She wasn't sure if she should accept that as a compliment, or smack him upside the head for calling her fat. Shirou's mouth was also agape, considering what had just slipped from it

"You're a funny boy Emiya." Rin said, with a very malevolent smile. Shirou couldn't say a thing as she left the room.

 _"Are we finally going home, Master?"_ Archer asked.

" _Not, there's something I want to investigate first. Something that has to do with all the gas leaks that have been happening lately."_ Rin replied, and the two set out from the Emiya household.

"I suppose I should check on Illya and Saber." Shirou mused after he put a shirt on. Peering into the room next to his, he saw that Illya was sound asleep on the futon. He smiled. Despite the trouble that she'd given them on the night prior, she looked like an angel laying there curled up and asleep. Next up was Saber. He couldn't find her in any of the other rooms, so he went out to check the dojo. As he suspected, he found her there. Sitting in the middle of the floor, the sunlight beaming onto her gave her an almost divine glow. Her blonde hair and her pale complexion, everything seemed to be accented through the morning rays. After a moment, her eyes opened, and she looked over at him, a light smile forming on her face.

"Good to see that you are up and moving." She said softly.

"What are you doing in here, Saber?" he asked, as he crossed the floor.

"Simply resting. The atmosphere of this room is perfect for meditation. I figured I ought to at least get myself back into peak condition."

"I see. I can agree with you; it is very peaceful here." Shirou mused, thinking how long it'd been since he'd last set foot in this room.

"I must say, I'm impressed with you, Shirou. I hadn't expected you to have self-healing magic." Saber said, about how quickly he had healed from his injuries. Shirou silently mused about it himself. He didn't quite understand how he'd healed so quickly. It was certainly magic, but not of his own doing. Saber continued.

"Shirou, I must say something about what happened last night." Shirou's attention snapped from his own thoughts to the woman standing in front of him. "I must ask you to refrain from making rash decisions, like the one you made last night."

"Well, what choice did I have? You were in danger." He replied, sheepishly rubbing the back of his head.

"You put so much trust in a Servant you barely know?"

"We shook on it, didn't we?" he queried. Saber was surprised by his remark. She was quiet for a moment, her small hand rising to her breast.

"As a Servant, your words are gratifying. However, please do not make such rash decisions anymore. I will have you win the Grail for me." She said, turning back to him.

"You want the Holy Grail too?" he asked.

"Yes, I have my own wish that I seek to fulfill." She said. Shirou nodded, feeling it inappropriate to press for details.

"C'mon, let's go have some tea." He said with a light smile. Saber returned said light smile, and nodded.

Once they'd settled down with their beverages, Shirou posed another question that had been on his mind.

"So, is your name _actually_ Saber? Or is that just a nickname?" Saber looked at him, took a sip of her tea, then set the cup down.

"We Servants are Heroic Spirits. As a result of that fame, by revealing our true identity, we also reveal our weaknesses."

"I see. So, you've been having me call you Saber to hide your real name."

"Yes. Seven Servants are summoned for the Holy Grail War, and are sorted by class."

"Class? Like swordsman or bowman?"

"Yes. The Grail prepares seven vessels in advance, and only summoned Heroic Spirits from all eras that were a match to those vessels. Saber, Lancer, Archer, Rider, Berserker, Caster, Assassin. These are the seven classes of Heroic Spirits that fight for the Holy Grail."

"I see. So, because you were a hero who was proficient with a sword, you were summoned as a Saber." Shirou mused aloud, moreso confirming it all in his mind.

"Conversely, however, that is also the Saber-class's shortcoming."

"Shortcoming?"

"For example. When facing a foe who is more proficient at close-quarters combat, what would you do?" Saber asked him. He sat for a moment and thought.

"Well, if they're good at fighting up close, I'd probably fight them from a distance as much as possible."

"Exactly. In addition, we possess what are called Noble Phantasms. Lancer's spear, Archer's bow, and my sword are all examples of Noble Phantasms. They are our secret weapons. However, a significant amount of mana is required to activate them."

"That makes sense. You can't just use it willy-nilly." Shirou remarks.

"Indeed. In addition, we must call out the true name of the Noble Phantasm when activating it, as Lancer did with his spear. Thus, we run the risk of giving away our identities."

"I see. So that's why you keep your sword invisible." Shirou murmurs. Saber's expression shifts into a slight frown.

"Shirou, I have a favor to ask which is related to that, in regards to my true name. Normally a Servant reveals their true identity to their Master so they may formulate a strategy. However, since you are a novice, a more experienced mage could read your thoughts and learn such information, which could be dangerous. So…" Saber's voice trailed off as her frown deepened. Shirou smiled gently and shrugged.

"So you can't tell me your true name. I understand. So, I'll leave the use of your Noble Phantasm up to you." He said. Saber looked at him in surprise. She hadn't expected Shirou to be so understanding. He stood up.

"If that's all settled, then we should have breakfast." He said, before proceeding into the kitchen, leaving Saber looking at him curiously.

"Did someone say breakfast?" Illya's voice chimed as she poked her head into the room.

"Yeah, come on in and join us." Shirou said with a smile. Illya nodded, then sat on the cushion next to where Shirou had been sitting earlier. Looking up, she noticed that Saber's expression had shifted to one of slight dislike.

"What's the matter Saber? Are you unhappy that I am here?" the little girl teased.

"If Shirou thinks it wise to allow you to stay, then my opinion is moot." Saber replied. After a brief period of silence, Illya looked at Saber again.

"You… knew Kiritsugu, right?" she asked a strange question. Shirou's ears perked up when Illya brought up Kiritsugu. Saber was silent for a moment.

"Yes. While I do have some resentment for him, I understand that I didn't know everything about the man I called Master in the last Holy Grail War." Saber said. Shirou was drawn aback. Saber _had_ known Kiritsugu. That was just the excuse he'd planned on feeding to Fuji-nee when she came back from the archery dojo.

"I do recall having seen you once as well, Illyasviel. It has been ten years, from what the Grail has told me, and you don't look like you've aged a day." She mused to the girl.

"Ten years? Hold on, what?" Shirou had nearly dropped the food he was bringing out to the two of them.

"Yes. You see Shirou, I'm a half homunculus, half human. My father was Kiritsugu Emiya, and my mother was Irisviel von Einzbern. They met while working towards winning the Grail for the Einzbern family. Thus, here I am." Illya explained. Saber's initially hardened expression softened considerably.

"Irisviel and I were quite close during the last war. I apologize for my earlier rudeness." Saber bows her head to Illya, who responds with a half-smile and a shrug.

"I don't blame you Saber. Were the situations reversed, I'd be the same way." Illya said, before digging into the food that Shirou had laid out before her.

"So this is Japanese cuisine? It tastes so good!" she chirped.

Across town, Rin and Archer approached a building that had been blocked off by the police. Thankfully for them, there were no officers standing guard at that moment.

 _"It's faint, but I sense mana residue."_

"Meaning this gas leak wasn't a mere accident." Rin mused aloud. "I can't believe someone is targeting outsiders…" she growled, balling her hand into a fist, then crossed the police tape into the building. They took their time investigating each room on each floor. By the time they were getting to the stronger sources of mana residue, it was late into the evening, and they were on the upper floors of the building. Coming up the large set of stairs, Rin could see a pair of skeleton creatures standing a distance away from her. She quickly dispatched them with a set of Gandr shots. Another, larger creature smashed its way down through the ceiling, and charged at her. With a larger Gandr shot, she dispatched it as well. Opening a door, she saw the darkened room was filled with a purple mist.

"The hell is this?" she asked, covering her mouth with her sleeve.

"A witch's incense, most likely." Archer replied, as he manifested himself beside her. "Possibly with a potion to destroy love. So, by that assumption, we're dealing with a woman here. Whatever her rage may be, it was powerful enough to make her a Servant."

"Enough talk, I'm opening a window."

Shortly after, while the paramedics removed the comatose patients from the building, Archer and Rin began talking on the rooftop.

"The flow is going to the Ryuudou Temple?" Archer asked, double-checking to make sure he'd heard what she said correctly.

"Yes. The stolen life force is flowing towards the mountain. I'd wager that the culprit behind the incidents is probably Caster. We'll track her, try to put a stop to this before she can make it back to her base."

"A witch skulking around the Temple. Sounds kind of ironic if you ask me." Archer replied, then stood up.

"Alright Master. Lead the way, and I'll follow." He says.


End file.
